Our Favorite Filming Locations in Southcentral Alaska (and Beyond)

Planning guides
Written by Brendan Wells

These are the ten places we film most, from glaciers about an hour from Anchorage to the fly-in coast of Katmai. Each one has its own land manager and permit, and several are reached only by boat, plane or snowmachine.

By Brendan Wells · Last checked November 2026 · Part of our Filming in Alaska guide

Where do we like to film, and how do you get there?

Knik Glacier

On camera: a glacier more than 28 miles long and 5 miles wide, ending in a lake of icebergs below the Chugach Mountains.

Access: about an hour's drive from Anchorage to the trailheads. In summer, ATV and airboat tours run to the glacier and helicopters land nearby. In winter, it's about 20 miles each way by snowmachine from Jim Creek.

Land and permits: state land in the Knik River Public Use Area, managed by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Trail easements cross Eklutna Inc. land; off the easements, you need Eklutna's permission.

Best season: summer for boats and ATVs, winter for snowmachine work.

Matanuska Glacier

On camera: blue ice, crevasses and meltwater you can walk onto with a guide.

Access: by road at milepost 101 of the Glenn Highway. The usual route onto the ice crosses private land through Matanuska Glacier Park, which charges a fee and requires guides for most visitors. The state recreation site has viewing platforms but no glacier access. Helicopters can also land on the ice.

Land and permits: the glacier is mostly state land; the recreation site is Alaska State Parks.

Best season: summer and winter both work; check operator hours.

Talkeetna Mountains

On camera: granite peaks, alpine tundra and the buildings of Independence Mine, a gold mining camp that closed in 1951.

Access: Hatcher Pass Road from Palmer. The gravel road over the 3,886-foot pass is usually open July through September. In winter, Archangel Road and parts of Hatcher Pass Road are open to snowmachines.

Land and permits: mostly Alaska State Parks, with some DNR and Mat-Su Borough land.

Best season: fall color from mid-August, and snow for winter work.

Denali and the Alaska Range

On camera: North America's highest peak above the glaciers and ridges of the Alaska Range.

Access: the George Parks Highway. Denali State Park's Denali View South wayside (milepost 135.2) may be the best roadside view of the range. Inside the national park, private vehicles reach Savage River (mile 15) in summer, and full bus service is expected in 2027 after the Pretty Rocks bridge was finished in September 2026. Ski planes from Talkeetna and Healy land on park glaciers, mainly in spring and summer.

Land and permits: Denali National Park and Preserve (National Park Service). When a permit is needed, Denali charges a $200 application fee plus video location fees of $0 to $750 a day, depending on crew size. Denali State Park is managed by Alaska State Parks.

Best season: fall color starts up high in early to mid August and reaches the valleys by about mid-September.

Katmai

On camera: brown bears fishing for salmon at Brooks Falls, and remote coastline.

Access: fly-in. Fly Anchorage to King Salmon, then take a small plane or water taxi into the park, or an air taxi direct from Anchorage, Kenai, Kodiak or Homer. Coastal landings depend on the tides, and the park advises extra days for weather.

Land and permits: Katmai National Park and Preserve (National Park Service).

Best season: July and September for bears at Brooks Camp. Mid-July usually has the most bears on the river.

Turnagain Arm

On camera: mountains dropping into tidal flats, the bore tide and, at times, endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales.

Access: the Seward Highway runs along the arm south of Anchorage, and the Alaska Railroad shares the shoreline.

Land and permits: Chugach State Park above the highway (Alaska State Parks). Work in the railroad right-of-way needs an Alaska Railroad permit: $750 to apply, $750 at issue, and 4 weeks standard.

Best season: spring and fall for the biggest bore tides. The bore forms within an hour after Anchorage low tide, runs up to 6 feet high at 10 to 15 mph, and peaks around new and full moons.

The Cook Inlet coast

On camera: long beaches and bluffs, a tidal range of about 35 feet, and across the water, Redoubt and Iliamna, two active volcanoes that rise over 10,000 feet.

Access: the east shore by road, mainly the Sterling Highway. Lake Clark National Park on the west shore is reached mainly by small plane, about 120 air miles southwest of Anchorage.

Land and permits: ownership on the east shore is mixed, so we check each parcel. Lake Clark is managed by the National Park Service.

Best season: year-round from the road; summer for fly-in work.

Prince William Sound

On camera: tidewater glaciers, fjords and forested islands.

Access: by boat from Whittier or Valdez. Whittier is reached through a 2.5-mile, one-lane tunnel shared with trains and run on a schedule. Valdez is on the Richardson Highway.

Land and permits: mostly the Chugach National Forest, which arcs about 210 miles around the sound (permit rules below).

Best season: summer, for the longest days on the water.

Kenai Fjords and the coast

On camera: glaciers flowing from the Harding Icefield into steep fjords, with whales and seabirds.

Access: Exit Glacier is the park's only road access, and that road is closed to vehicles in winter and much of spring. The coast is reached by boat, water taxi or air taxi from Seward.

Land and permits: Kenai Fjords National Park (National Park Service).

Best season: summer for boat work.

Kenai Peninsula

On camera: the Kenai River, lakes, mountains and fishing towns.

Access: the Seward and Sterling highways. Kachemak Bay State Park, across the bay from Homer, is reached only by plane or boat.

Land and permits: the Chugach National Forest in the east, the 2-million-acre Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) in the west, and state parks such as Kachemak Bay.

Best season: summer salmon runs. On the Kenai River, sockeye run mid-July to mid-August and coho late July to mid-October.

Who manages the land, and which permit do you need?

  • National parks

    Denali, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Lake Clark. Groups of 8 or fewer with hand-carried gear generally need no permit, but check wilderness areas with the park.

  • Chugach National Forest

    No authorization for 5 or fewer, a no-fee authorization for 6 to 8, and a possible permit and fee above 8.

  • Alaska State Parks

    A commercial filming permit is required. Allow up to 30 days, and everyone on the permit needs current first aid.

  • General state land

    DNR land such as the Knik River Public Use Area. Overnight commercial filming uses a Commercial Recreation Permit, registered each calendar year.

  • National wildlife refuges

    The Kenai refuge falls under the same 2025 federal filming law as parks and forests. Confirm details with the refuge.

  • Private and Native corporation land

    Written permission from the owner. We've worked with CIRI, Ahtna, NANA, Calista and Bristol Bay Native Corporation.

We pull State Parks and DNR permits most often, and Forest Service and Park Service permits too. For KUIU's Here to Hunt campaign, we were the Alaska production partner for scouting, permits, local crew, gear and drones. See production services.

Can you fly drones at these locations?

Not in the national parks: Denali, Katmai, Kenai Fjords and Lake Clark all fall under the NPS drone ban. Elsewhere, drones follow FAA rules and the land manager's permit conditions. Where drones aren't allowed, our Cub Cam is the aerial option, within FAA and park rules. See drone and aerial filming in Alaska and aerial filming.

Questions

Do we need a permit to film at Knik Glacier?

The glacier is state land in the Knik River Public Use Area, managed by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Commercial use may need DNR authorization, and land next to the access trails belongs to Eklutna Inc., which requires permission.

Can you drive to the Matanuska Glacier?

Yes, it's at milepost 101 of the Glenn Highway. The usual route onto the ice crosses private land through Matanuska Glacier Park, which charges a fee and requires guides for most visitors.

How do you get to Katmai to film bears?

By air. Fly from Anchorage to King Salmon, then take a small plane or water taxi into the park, or take an air taxi direct from Anchorage, Kenai, Kodiak or Homer. Bear viewing at Brooks Camp is best in July and September.

Which of these locations can we reach by road from Anchorage?

Most of them: Knik Glacier trailheads, Matanuska Glacier, Hatcher Pass, Denali State Park and the national park entrance, Turnagain Arm, the east shore of Cook Inlet, Whittier and Valdez, Seward and the Kenai Peninsula. Katmai and Lake Clark are fly-in.

Planning a shoot in Alaska?

Tell us the look you're after, and we'll suggest locations and handle the permits. Start a project or call (907) 521-8133. We reply within one business day.

Sources

Brendan Wells https://mountainmind.media
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